In the second post in this series, we’re sharing stories about how a few of our partners got into affiliate marketing. We hope this offers a bit of encouragement and insight for affiliates who are just getting started. We asked members of our Insiders community how and why they began, how they got up to speed quickly, and what they wish they’d known then. Here is what some of our affiliates had to say:

"I started off as a deal blogger in August 2011, during a time when we were struggling to make ends meet and couponing our way to make things work for our family of six. Now we run successful lifestyle blogs and use affiliate marketing through eBay and several other programs to help become a resource for our loyal followers. I wish I had known about monetization."

- Daisy Teh, TheItMom.com

"I started by looking for ways to cover the cost of running a startup. I went down the route of Google ads on my site, but while looking for more ways to monitise the site, I found an article about EPN. I soon realised that EPN and other affiliate programs provided a better revenue stream than the business model I was building. I'm still building my EPN model and I'm only 9 months in."

- Nigel Brookes, www.motoringdeals.co.uk

"When I was 15 years old, I created my first website/blog and my first radio station, where I promoted music that I found interesting on YouTube (with no profit). Later, I got into web design and created a design office, partnering with a few friends. Today, I'm an undergraduate Computer Systems Engineer.

“I started affiliate marketing about two years ago when I started to search for ways to monetize all the time I spend on social media (and the internet in general). Now I'm a web designer, an affiliate marketer and a radio producer!"

- Theo Palios

“I used to work at an advertising agency where I managed the PPC department. I was first introduced to affiliate marketing through one of our clients, as we handled their daily reporting. It was then I realized the potential of affiliate marketing.

“I participated a lot on forums such as phpBay and other private forums and discussed strategies a lot with other folks. I've learned a lot from testing different SEO methods, PPC strategies, and from hearing how others manage and monetize their own portfolio. I think participating in communities has been key in my own success.

“I wish I knew about affiliate marketing way back in the early 2000s, when SEO was much easier. And of course I wish I knew about the value of domains back then!”

- Sarah

We’ll continue to share more publisher stories in upcoming blog posts. Do you have a story to share? Let us know in the comments, or apply to join Insiders for more opportunities.